Clinton v. Jackson OR Conservitisim v. Racism

This story is the ultimate example of Republican Conservative hypocrisy. Let?s be clear, it is sometimes conservatism used as a shield for racism, and Mississippi with its rich history in racism is the poster child of racism shielded by conservatism. To be fair, some conservatives really believe in their conservative principles, and I believe some conservative principles are good for this Country and State, but some conservatives have a hard time of overcoming their racist beliefs even if it means going against their conservative beliefs.

We all know that the Republican party loves to state that Government don?t create jobs. This was one of Romney?s biggest one liners. They have tried to block every stimulus package that the President has passed since he?s been in office because they say government doesn?t create jobs. Well don?t tell that to Phillip Gunn (hereafter Gunn), an ultra-Conservative Republican that is the Speaker of the House in the State of Mississippi.

This is how the story goes. Sometime over ten years ago, the Department of Revenue (hereafter DOR) for the State of Mississippi moved from downtown Jackson to Clinton, Mississippi supposedly to repair the downtown building. They took over 500 jobs with them when they left. The building that the DOR located in is a tin outdated warehouse, and it is now time to find a new home for DOR. Of course, the move was never supposed to be temporary. The downtown building has since been renovated and other government offices have since relocated in the former DOR site. However, DOS is still in the tin building in the City of Clinton which is just outside the City of Jackson. The lease to the current site of DOR expires in 2014, so a new location must be found.

In 2011, the State of Mississippi lawmakers passed a bill directing the Department of Finance and Administration to select a site. A firm that was hired by the State of Mississippi said the Landmark building, that is located downtown Jackson, Mississippi, would be the best site and save the State money which a decision former Gov. Haley Barbour endorsed. In 2012,, the Senate, majority white Senators, voted unanimously to move DOR to the Landmark building, but Gunn stopped the move in the House and would not let it come up for vote. The price of the Landmark building then was about $14 million. It?s since been reduced to $7.6 million.

Furthermore, Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, chairman of Senate Public Property, had the Millsaps College management school conduct a study that determined consolidating state offices around the tri-county area would save about $5 million a year. The purchase of the Landmark Center and relocating DOR and other agencies there, the study said, would save almost $30 million over 20 years. Hello!!! Save Taxpayers Money!! This is supposed to be the Republican Mantel!

This week, the state House, at the behest of Speaker Philip Gunn, voted to lease or purchase A building in Clinton without knowing how much it?s going to cost, where the money will come from and if it?s a better deal than the one that was recommended by an independent group hired by the State of Mississippi.

House Bill 1337 is Gunn?s effort to keep the Department of Revenue and its more than 500 employees in his home area of Clinton. It directs state administrators to ?acquire? space at the South Pointe Center in Clinton, the partially vacant former headquarters of the defunct WorldCom. Yes the Bernie Ebbers that ripped off the stockholders in the State of Mississippi. Gunn knows that this site has no chance of passing the Senate, and he would not allow the bill passed by the Senate to locate the Site to downtown Jackson even be considered by the House because he knew it would pass the House.

Gun?s real plan is for both bills to die in both the House and Senate, so that the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) can step in and do an analysis on which site is best to lease knowing that DFA does not have authority to purchase the building because only the Legislative can do that, and this strategy is giving the Republican Governor and other conservative republicans such as the Mayor of Clinton a way out in saying let the process play itself out knowing dam well the end result of the process is that the taxpayers in the State of Mississippi are going to lose by not purchasing the landmark building but they know they can save face because they surely are not saving money.

I am not surprised by Phillip Gunn. After all he was man enough to admit he had a personal motive for doing this and admitted that as Speaker of the House he had not even looked at any study done on the relocation of the DOR site. ?I haven?t seen (Blount?s) plan or details ? But I represent the people of Clinton, and they sent me here to look out for their interests. We believe it?s in the best interests of my constituents for it to be in Clinton, for those jobs to stay in the area.? See!!! Government can suddenly create jobs. And this is from one the most conservative Republicans this nation will ever find. Like I said, I can understand Gunn sudden change in conservative principles on being fiscally responsible, but All Of the Republican House Members!!!!!!!! Somebody Help Me Here!!!!!

House Bill 1337 passed passed 71-43, in a mostly partisan vote in the House, which has a 65-55 Republican majority. Hello!!! The reason this bill passed according to another Republican house member Rep. Tommy Weathersby, R-Florence, chairman of House Public Property, stated ?We feel like this is the best piece of property available for the Department of Revenue,? . Now, all of a sudden these fiscally conservative republicans don?t take cost as a consideration when trying to protect the taxpayers so how exactly did they make their decision. THEY FEEL LIKE THIS IS THE BEST PIECE OF PROPERTY. A Feeling!!!!

Lets compare the properties. The one in Clinton passed the House with no cost attached to it, no evaluation of the property has been done to determine if the building is in adequate condition to convert, and the site is 15 miles from the State Capital. The Site recommended by an independent group is Class A property selling for $22 a square feet whereby the State of Mississippi has had their own people to examine the building to determine how much renovation is needed to bring it up to DOA standards and the building is located five (5) blocks from the State Capital and Governor?s Mansion.

Now, lets get to the real reason for Republican party in the House for wanting to place the building in Clinton, Mississippi. Jackson is a predominantly African American City with an African American Mayor and City Council. The City has been steadily getting worse financially since African Americans gained majority control of the political process. Most of the white Legislatures have not given a dam about Jackson since that time, and it has been shown in how they have totally neglected the needs in the City of Jackson, the State Capitol. This vote to go along with Gunn to keep the DOR site in Clinton is really a vote to keep it out of Jackson, that black city.

You see, we in Mississippi has come just far enough to realize that if we want a top ten college football team then we got to get rid of that Rebel guy and replace him with a bear to recruit top notch black athletes. That was not easy for a lot of people associated with that institution of higher learning to do, but they realized it had to be done if they wanted to feel proud about the team like they did way back in Dixie times. The benefit of putting aside that past far out weighed the burden of keeping a small group of racist alumnus satisfied. However, some of those very same people that realized they needed to get rid of their beloved Colonel Reb have no ties to the City of Jackson, and they are too dam racist to understand that they need to change their mindset about the City of Jackson for the very same reasons they changed their mindset in getting rid of the beloved Colonel Rebel. They got rid of Colonel Reb because it was about economics. That?s It!!! The more games you win! The more money your programs make! They now need to get rid of their racist beliefs about the City of Jackson for the same reason, Economics. The Colonel is gone because they want to be proud of their beloved football team once again. These people need to realize that if they want to be proud about their beloved State, they must get rid of their racist view of their own Capitol City and start voting their conservative principles and not their conservative history.

Mississippi has come a long way. I can truly say that I have grown to be proud of our former Governor, Haley Barbour. I may not agree with all his positions, but I can see that he and some other conservatives that I may disagree with truly cares more about their State and Country than they do about preserving a status quo. That?s where I think the Republican party has become dangerous to the future of America. True conservatives always want Conservatism! Closet Conservatives always want the Status Quo! They must be exposed if this Nation and my State is going to truly rise to the top or stay on the top as the leader of the free world.

PLESE HELP!!! THE BILL HAS YET TO BE PASSED BY THE SENATE

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Clinton v. Jackson OR Conservitisim v. Racism

This story is the ultimate example of Republican Conservative hypocrisy. Let?s be clear, it is sometimes conservatism used as a shield for racism, and Mississippi with its rich history in racism is